Dessert Baked Potatoes

This Summer we were able to spend a few days with my mother from Maine. She always comes with creative new ideas to do in the kitchen - and this was her latest: a baked potato for dessert.  When she asked us if we wanted to have baked potatoes for dessert, we were definitely skeptical - until she listed the ingredients: ice cream, hot cocoa powder, whipped cream, sprinkles, and nuts. 

She had me at ice cream!

AND, despite appearances (yes, I was skeptical), this was a delicious dessert!

So - how did she do it? 

 First, we cut a box of slightly melted vanilla ice cream into 12 squares and formed them into rough shaped "potatoes" (we used plastic wrap to grab each section of ice cream and form it- to keep the mess off our hands), placed the on a baking tray and placed in the freezer (best to do this quickly, they melt fast!)  Once refrozen, we rolled the ice cream "potatoes" in hot cocoa powder creating the potato's skin.

Replace in the freezer to firm up once again, until ready to serve.

When ready to serve, place a single "potato" on a plate, split with a knife -as you would a normal potato- and fill with toppings! This is where you can be creative.

We chose Ready Whip for "sour cream"and yellow sprinkles for "cheese"

We also added peanuts on top of the ones that wanted it - and to me, it really added a lot of flavor to the dessert.

When Jarrod saw this dessert (from a distance) he really thought it was a baked potato and said he would pass on the "dessert".  :) He was surprised and delighted to find that it was really ice cream!

Recipe:

Dessert Baked Potatoes
serves 12

1 half gallon vanilla ice cream
hot cocoa powder
whipped cream
sprinkles
peanuts - broken into pieces

Allow ice cream to become slightly soft, divide into 12 sections and form into the shape of a potato.  Refreeze.  Roll in hot cocoa powder. Refreeze.
When ready to serve, divide in half, fill with toppings: whipped cream, sprinkles, nuts.
Enjoy!